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Fawke Society
"The Fawkes are the fierce sentinels of the elements. They are large, lithe and winged beings that trust few and make friends with fewer. They are built both for the hunt and for flight, with massive wings and sharp claws and teeth, and are the race that regards loyalty with the most severity. " ''-Page 28, 'Journals of a Nomad', 814 Blessed'' Fawkes are members of the race of winged canine-like peoples that originate from the region known as the Drelhi Wastes. The language of Fawkes is Felw'en, and all Fawkes born in their home regions will learn this before any other language. In Felw'en, the word 'Fawke' most accurately means 'Heir', but the translation of the word by Fawkes themselves is closer to 'Child of those who came before', referring to the civilization that existed in the Drelhi wastes before the volcanic and seismic activity that ravaged the area created the Lava Fields and Bottomless Chasm. Fawkes are commonly known for being one of the most reclusive peoples of Mythica, with most of their settlements being in almost uninhabitable areas and their people being generally distrustful of outsiders. However, in recent years Fawke leadership has shifted towards the younger of their race, and more clans have recently been willing to delegate and meet with the main Mythican governments. Culture Families Fawke culture revolves around the family unit. This takes many forms. The smallest unit is that of the literal family - mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, so on and so forth. This then evolves to the tribe as a family, with alphas acting as leaders and guides, and after that the clan, with the Chieftans as leaders, and finally the Council, made up of all the Clans and Tribes which answers to the two strongest Alphas of their entire race. Fawkes are fiercely loyal in that same order; first to their family, second to their tribe, third to their clan and fourth to the Council. Loyalty is treated not as a weapon or tool, but as a reward and comfort. Fawke society focuses on giving oneself to their people, and in return this generosity helps each Fawke succeed. This unifies their people. Fawkes are incredibly loyal. They are raised with heavy emphasis on familial reverence - Fawke families are some of the most dedicated and close knit in all of Mythica, and families within tribes have their own close and positive dynamics with each other. Loss is felt heavily amongst the group; when one Fawke suffers, the tribe does, and overall a Fawke's natural tendency to form strong connections with their loved ones results in heavy attachment and the inability to easily cope with newcomers. Fawkes naturally distrust those that come from outside of their tribes, even to the point of wariness of Fawkes outside of their immediate clan. Tribes Their tribes meet as a clan every two months, and the four clans meet as a Council every time the seasons change. At these meetings, much planning is done and much territory established; the lands of the Fawkes are shared, and to keep every tribe sustained and alive, their territories to roam are re-divvied up each season in order to give each and every Fawke a fighting chance. Foreign policy is also handled at clan and council meetings. Legacy Fawkes also fiercely protect their history and legacy. They remain in the Wastes due to a sense of ancient duty to those who came before, and retell the stories of those who have passed dutifully and reverently. An insult to a family member and an insult to an ancestor or venerated figure are two sure fire ways to get a Fawke angry at you. Songs A notable and important passtime and part of Fawke culture is singing. Fawkes express themselves intensely through song, and a family, tribe or clan that can all sing in harmony is considered to be perfectly and ideally balanced. Their songs can be worded or wordless, and their voices can be heard in their most pure form when in song as the growl that usually permeates Fawke speech is minimized or lost. (Fawke voices usually growl as they are vocalizing much quieter than they can be for the sake of the people around them. On the flip side, their singing is loud.) All important Fawke ceremonies, such as funerals, solstices, birthdays, promotions, leadership changes, etc involve singing. History In an age near-forgotten, the Drelhi Wastes were actually a fertile river valley sitting between the Drelhi Mountains to the north and the River Swift to the south. In those days, the people known as the Falkiri, or Those who Came Before, lived and thrived. They were the ancestors of the Fawkes, and lived as peaceful nomads much like the Windrunners a few hundred miles south of them. Mount Flare's first eruption and the seismic activity that created the Bottomless Chasm were one in the same. The lands of the Falkiri were torn apart and blanketed in soot and fire. Everything they had was lost, except for their pride and determination. They kept claim to their home, and continued to exist there, taking on the name Fawke to honor what had been lost, and what it meant despite that loss. Since then, Fawkes have been highly organized and highly tenacious, living in what is easily the most dangerous part of Mythica and stubbornly living the way they always have. Constant but lessened lava flow from Mount Flare rendered a large chunk of their original homeland uninhabitable, but has spared much of the area north of the River Swift from the giant clouds of ash that the original larger eruptions contained. For the most part, the Fawkes have lived with few to no disputes among themselves, but find themselves at contest with roving Miarons often. During the Hundred Year's War, Aurich conquered one of the three tribes, Galefury, and used it to war against the other two, but eventually it was freed and life made an attempt to return to normal. Language The Fawkes speak Felw'en, the language they have inherited and are using from the Falkiri. Its sounds involve lots of growling or bark-short consonants and long songlike vowels. It is a language very much unique to the Fawkes. Fawke accents usually accentuate vowels and vowel sounds to make them longer and more robust sounding, and make consonant sounds either growling (rolling rs, ls, gs) or short. Religion ''' Fawkes, like other races in Mythica, revere the Muse, and her teachings are spoken in every tribe. One Fawke in every generation inherits the holy and magical charge of being their people's living Tome of Parable, and speak of the Tome until their dying day. The Tome of the Fakes is the Book of Fidelity, whose verses speak of the importance of family and steadfastness. Every Fawke has an opportunity to listen to the living Tome whenever the tribes meet for their seasonal council. Alongside the Muse, whom they pray to as Firae, She who Came First, they honor their ancestors regularly. Each family has at least one ancestor that they venerate and remember when they pray. Prayer usually occurs at the first light of dawn or the first thing the Fawke does in the morning, and at dusk or just before the Fawke goes to sleep. Prayer is private, though parents will guide their cubs through the process for the first years of their lives and teach their children of their lineage. '''Level of Advancement Fawkes live in the hardest-to-live place in all of Mythica besides the desert north of the mountain border of their home. They are painfully practical, and only craft and wear what they need - it should be noted that they do, in fact, craft. Fawke craft is incredibly detailed and careful, and it's incredibly rare and valuable, making it easy for Fawke tribes to do trading whenever they are in dire need of supplies. Universally Famous Figures Firae - She Who Came First, AKA the Muse, often depicted as a giant white Fawke with many wings and eyes that are the moons, with the sun on her brow as a crown. This depiction of the Muse is only common in Fawke territory. Thunderstrike - An ancient Fawke alpha who founded the Skybreach clan. Swiftwind - An ancient Fawke alpha who founded the Galefury clan. Earthrender - An ancient Fawke alpha who founded the Shatterplain clan. Ahnadi Matar Ezhnuo - A young Fawke who, during the hundred years war, spoke to and both defeated and defended thousands of Fawkes in his time and briefly became leader of the Galefury clan, leading his troops against Aurich. He is often misremembered and misrepresented outside of Fawke territory as a puppy - possibly because of how his adopted father remembered him and told stories about him - even though he was fully grown by the time this feat was achieved. Karito Ahigate - Ahnadi Ehzuno's successor; he led several tribes to form the Sunsteps clan, the only clan to leave the Wastes, in order to better forge diplomatic relations with other races.